Gimme Some Sugar, Bubbles!
by FEaddict101
Summary: This fanfic follows Gaius, from before he joins the Shepherds to after the game ends. It shows how he got settled and how he gradually fell in love with Robin (female my unit). Thus, this fanfiction is going to be centered around them, though there will be other supports and events included.
1. Chapter 1: If You Sweeten the Deal

Gimme Some Sugar, Bubbles!

Chapter One

Gaius sighed. His feet hurt, he had a headache and all he wanted was to sit down. He turned to the person next to him. "Hey, how much further do we have to-"

"Hey you, there!" Gaius flinched as his employers' voice cut through the air. "No talking!"

"Geez," muttered the candy-lover as he rummaged through his pockets for a caramel, "this is possibly the worst job that I've ever signed up for. Sure, I get a hefty sum for cracking some locks, but the big boss is a real jerk." He found the candy he was looking for, discreetly opened the foil wrapping and popped the treat into his mouth. Soon he was eating another, and then another. He'd been marching for ages and he needed something to take his mind off of the pain in his feet. "I swear," Gaius muttered, "If my feet survive this, I'll take the reward and replenish my candy tenfold." Using this as an excuse to eat more candy, he was racing through the fifty sweets in his cloak and eating them at an alarming rate, barely savouring each lollipop and chewing each gummy. However, this distraction did work and his mind was soon off of the blisters on his feet, which were caused by the hours of marching to get to his destination.

The palace they were heading to was huge. Gaius could barely even imagine how much treasure lay in store for him within the huge Ylissean vault. He had it all planned out. He would pick the locks he needed to pick for his job, and then disappear off to the treasury and load up, arriving back with the group just as they finished what they would have been doing. Speaking of which, what _would_ they be doing? Gaius normally didn't care about that sort of stuff- it didn't concern him in the slightest.

His thoughts were soon interrupted when the men in front of him came to an abrupt stop and he almost toppled into one of them. "Sorry, sorry!" He apologized to the soldiers and assassins before looking up to see Validar, the man who had hired him, sending off groups of assassins this way and that. The line grew shorter and shorter until Gaius was at the front, and was sent with a few other men to a place near the Exalt's chambers. "Say, you don't exactly know what we're doing, do you?" the man who he had questioned ignored him and proceeded to approach their location within the palace. Gaius sighed and plodded on, aimlessly following the others who were in his group.

"Chrom, I should probably go with you and Sumia to the right part of Emmeryn's chambers. Virion, Miriel, Sully, Stahl, you take the left. Lon'Qu, Lissa and Frederick, help Marth with the center." Gaius could hear the panting voice of a girl, in the late teens, who seemed to be doling out orders to the others. "Whatever you do, do _not_ let them into the Exalt's room!"

"Who the heck…" Gaius muttered to himself. The group of them came into view, and he had to conceal himself into the shadows to avoid being seen. He _still_ didn't know what he was supposed to do, though all the armed men and group of people talking anxiously were making him a bit suspicious about what his employer actually wanted him to do. It seemed that the girl giving out orders had reddish-orange hair which was tied back into a ponytail, save for a few strands on either side of her face. There was a blue-haired man who was also rather young and looked a lot like the exalt.

"Did you get that? Time to get ready! To your places before we run out of time!" The blue-head ordered. Gaius recognized him after hearing his voice. It was Chrom, the brother of the exalt, and prince of Ylisse. He tried to identify the other people in the small group, but they were already split up to their designated locations. As he leaned against a wall to rest his weary legs, he heard Validar speak again.

"Remember, by the end of the night, I was the Exalt dead and the Fire Emblem in my hands!" Validar obviously had no intention to be discreet, as Gaius could see the shock register on the redhead girl's face, as well as Chrom's, meaning that they heard Validar as well. However, he couldn't focus on that for long, due to the shock that _he_ was experiencing. Dazed, he started muttering to himself.

"H-hold on. We're supposed to _kill_ the exalt?" Gaius ran his fingers through his bangs. "But she's such a… a _sweet_ lady. I mean sure, I'd rob her blind in an instant, but I'd never hurt her!" He contemplated just walking out, or going on with the job anyways, though neither of those thoughts lasted for long, due to the fact that Chrom, Sumia and Marisa were headed in his general direction. "Well, safety first, I guess," he sighed, drawing his sword.

Fortunately, Chrom hadn't managed to see him yet, though he was awfully close. Gaius could hear him breathing and was almost close enough to count the hairs on his head. He tried to move away, but Chrom heard him and whirled in his direction, with the Falchion pointed at Gaius's throat. "Drop your weapon, or die where you stand!" Chrom's voice was stern and there was no hesitation in it. He seemed very devoted when it came to protecting his older sister.

"Eeeasy there, blue blood. I'm not here to harm anyone." Gaius put his hands up in submission and tried reasoning with Chrom, even though he himself had not been so sure if he was about to join in on the fight or walk out.

Chrom seemed skeptical. "…Yet you run with a band of assassins?"

"Believe it or not," stated Gaius, "I'm just trying to make a living. I'm a thief, see? Bust open doors, crack into chests, that sort of thing. This lot," He gestured to a general mass of men who had also been hired by Validar, "said they wanted to break into some type of vault. Nobody said anything about murder. I'd just as soon sit this one out." Well, in his mini-rant, Gaius had basically made up his mind about what he was going to do. "Seya, Blue, can I put my hands down now?"

Chrom ignored the last comment. "Hm, then perhaps you'd be willing to prove those good intentions you speak of?"

"Beg pardon?"

"We need all the help we can get to save Emm's… the Exalt's life. You appear capable, and we could use any information we have about our foes." For once, Gaius could see that Chrom was acting kind of desperate. Though not easily detectable, you could tell that he was terrified of something happening to his sister. Still, though, Gaius could not help but to get something more out of this then a good feeling.

"Oh right- those good intentions. Fine, then, I'll prove my sincerity… if you sweeten the deal." He had been hired for gold in the job which he was ditching, so he felt that he should at least get _some_ gold in return for swapping sides.

Chrom sighed and scowled at the same time. "You want gold? Fine you scoundrel. Let me just-" A brown sac fell to the floor.

Gaius raised an eyebrow. "Looks like you dropped something. What's in the satchel, hm?"

"Nothing… just candies for my little sister."

Gaius's mouth dropped. "Candies?" He started drooling a bit. "As in _sugar_ candies?"

Now Chrom was getting a bit concerned. "Well yes, I'd assume that they'd be sweet, but-"

"IT'S A DEAL!" Without even thinking for a second, Gaius exclaimed these words, and much to his amusement, Chrom was momentarily speechless.

"Y-you'd risk your life for us if I gave you a bag of… _Candy_?" Chrom was amazed.

"Hey," Gaius mentioned," I did say _sweeten_ the deal, didn't I? I mean, don't get me wrong, I will take the gold later… unless you have more of these. _Do you have more of these_?"

"Uh, I'll ask Lissa…" Chrom slowly inched away back towards Sumia and Robin.

"Well," The candy lover sighed," I guess that's that. Looks like I've got myself a new job... for now. Let's just hope that along with it comes some high sugary rewards."

* * *

**Author's Note: Wheeew first chapter's done! I basically just decided to write this chapter and wrote it- it seemed to come naturally to me. I'm not sure I got the characters personalities quite right, just tell me if anything should be changed, I'm open to criticism! Chapters will be coming out quite often, maybe even every day, for a bit (it's summer vacation and I have alot of free time.) Like I said, if there is anything which I'm doing badly or not good enough, feel free to tell me, I do want to get better and this fanfic more enjoyable.  
**


	2. Chapter 2: Getting Settled

Gaius wiped the blood from his sword and leaned against the wall, sighing. Chrom walked over to him and spoke. "That was actually quite impressive."

"Thanks, Blue," Gaius said, "though I normally tend to steer clear of the messy work. It doesn't sit well with me."

"Well, sit well or not, your help was quite useful. What would you say to joining us?" Chrom seemed like a straight forward person, asking what he thought he needed to ask _when_ he needed to ask it."

Gaius rummaged through his pockets for one of the candies which Chrom had given him. "Hm, these are quite tasty. Anyways, Blue, I'm not really one for long-term commitments, and I'm certainly not one who works for free. What's in it for me?"

Chrom sighed. "Did you just call me… Blue? Well, anyways, to a certain extent, Gold? I _do_ have some other candies, though I'm not really sure if you were just joking, or if-"

"YES." The sweet addict practically jumped up from his resting position, knocking over his sword which he had leaned against the wall. "Three conditions- candy, pastries and you have to pay for my weapon maintenance. _Then_ I'm all for it."

"Okay, good. Do you have any other stuff?"

"Stuff?" Gaius asked, "As in candies and treats? Cos I've got a whole lot of those out back. I dropped them off there before we-" Chrom interrupted him, holding up his hand.

"I meant," he then said in a stern voice, "non-edible necessities. Such as a tent, other weapons, a vulnerary, that sort of thing."

"Uh… no?"

Chrom was, for the second time this day, at a loss for words. "Do you mean you-" He sighed, "never mind. Just… come with me. If you really have nothing, then we need to get you some equipment before we set out again. So much for staying ahead of the Plegians."

They had finally arrived at their campsite. Gaius was ordered to clear the area along with a muscled, blonde man and a quiet, yet tall man with grey-brown hair. The job was comprised mainly of clearing away brush, sticks, leaves and such, as well as digging a fire pit. Of course, Gaius didn't really know what to do. However, the blonde man was more than happy to teach him. "Teach can show you what to do!" Before Gaius could utter a word, he was dragged off, and _Teach_ tried to show him the ropes.

"Are you really sure that this is how we're supposed to unload the carts, muscles?" The candy lover was sceptically observing how Teach was practically bench-pressing each piece of luggage and then tossing it to Gaius.

"Of course! Teach is always right!"

"Or maybe _Vaike_ is just showing off." Gaius whirled around to see the silent grey-brown haired man holding a bundle of leaves and sticks, with a stern expression on his face. "No one is amused by your foolishness."

Vaike's expression changed immediately. "Ah, Lon'Qu. Didn't see you there. I'll just… go…" He grabbed his axe and ran off to another already-cleared part of the campsite to help some other people dig the fire pit.

Lon'Qu proceeded out to the forest without saying another word. He threw his batch of leaves and twigs into the brush and walked back to Gaius. "Those bags need to go to the main tent." He walked off.

Gaius was baffled. He reached into his cloak for a caramel lollipop and unwrapped it before grabbing a case of books and taking it to the center of the campsite, where he assumed the main tent would be placed. This group of people was certainly the most unusual bunch. After this, he grabbed a shovel and dug a small pit for the fire. He had barely began to walk away when a brown-haired man with fancy armour began to light the fire. Gaius realized that he himself was starving. "I wonder what's for dinner…"

"UGH! Chrom, you know how much I hate bear! Can't you catch something _normal_ for once? Like rabbit? Or deer?" A young girl in a dress was giving Chrom a hard time as he emerged from the forest with a young man with messy brown hair. They were carrying a giant brown bear between the two of them, and the girl did _not_ seem happy about it. "Bear stinks. It's chewy. It smells disgusting, and it tastes like old leather boots!"

"Ah," Gaius muttered to himself, "At least now I know what's for dinner. Maybe the cook can make it… edible." Popping another one of would-be-Lissa's candies into his mouth, he wandered off into the woods for a few minutes, contemplating how one could possibly make bear taste good.

As the bear was being disassembled and roasted, everyone took their personal belongings and set up their tents. Gaius, being a thief, had to be naturally observant. Thus, he noted multiple things. Firstly, Chrom's tent was set up in the middle, and beside it was put up a large tent, which he assumed would be the strategy and general meeting tent. As well, the lady from the previous battle who had been shouting out orders, her tent was close to the large tent as well. There was no general section for men and women, but Gaius could see that Lon'Qu was obviously trying to keep his tent as far away from the women's tents as possible. As well, the girl who had been yelling at Chrom earlier kept on trying to get near Lon'Qu, and Lon'Qu kept batting her off.

Gaius ended up placing his tent close to the northwest corner, near the chef's tent. That tent was used on various occasions, though the cook obviously didn't like cooking bear, as that night's dinner went nowhere near his tent. Gaius obviously thought that he could easily nab sweets and the like from the tent in the middle of the night when he was craving something that wasn't stashed in his cloak.

Chrom loved bear. He actually, much to the amazement of the others, seemed to enjoy eating it. Of course, no one else really liked it that much, other than Stahl. Though that may have just been because Stahl was perpetually hungry. Lissa, as Gaius had heard her being called, was the one who openly complained the most. The fire-starter man just stated that he wasn't hungry. Everyone else followed the wise old saying, _grin and bear it_, not complaining, but not enjoying the chewy meat, either. Gaius had eaten one bite and set it down, before racing through his caramels to satisfy his hunger.

"Hey," Gaius heard a voice and felt a tap on his shoulder, "Could I possibly have one?" It was Stahl- the ever hungry glutton of the group. "I'd much prefer eating those to bear."

"Sorry Mr. Bedhead, but this candy is for my mouth only. You gotta be prepared for all possibilities." Gaius rejected Stahl's request without a second thought. After all, he had earned the candy he carried. Well, most of it. Some had been… liberated from shops and jars in between jobs, but it's not like anyone needed to know that.

After dinner, much to everyone's dismay, they had to attend a strategy meeting. This is where Gaius learnt the name of the woman who had been giving orders during the previous battle. Her name was Robin. "Alright," she said, "We're going to take the Exalt to Ferox through Breakneck Pass in two days. It's less likely to contain enemies, and we're getting help from someone to take us through it. We're going to need eleven people on active duty, and the rest can use the carts and horses.

Everyone else nodded, as they knew what was going on. Gaius just hoped that he wouldn't be assigned to active duty. After all, since there were so many people in the camp, there was a chance that throughout the whole time he was going to be hired, he would never have to fight a battle.

"Alright," Robin continued, "So on active duty is Chrom, Myself, Miriel, Virion, Kellan, Vaike, Lon'qu, Lissa, Ricken, Maribelle, Sumia, and Gaius."

"Wait… excuse me?" Gaius said this a bit too loudly and everyone, including Robin turned to look at him. "Just a thought, but why am I on active duty? I've barely been here for a day!"

Robin sighed. "Your name's Gaius, right? We always judge people based on skill and how they would suit the terrain. Chrom said you're skilled, and a thief is one of the perfect people when it comes to fighting in places which require someone to be light on their feet and quick to react. Breakneck pass is _very_ narrow, and it's not like we can have _horsemen_ in a place like that."

"Do we get compensation if we're injured? I'd have to say that it would be nice if I got a reward for… valour and courage in action. Something sugary, I'd say…"

Robin almost smacked herself in the forehead, and a few others in the crowd chuckled. "If it'll make you stop kicking up a fuss, then alright, you get a reward… so long as you don't get injured on purpose to attain caramels."

"I'll do my best," chuckled Gaius, "though I make no promises."

Rolling her eyes, Robin continued with the meeting, _trying _(and failing) to pretend that nothing had happened.

* * *

**Author's Note: I'm sorry for the awkwardness of the last part. Or at least, It seemed awkward to me. This chapter was surprisingly hard to write. It's building up, though. I don't like to jump into the main plot right away, though supports will probably start happening next chapter. _Though this is a fanfic between Robin and Gaius, I emphasize that there will still be plenty of interactions between other characters, and even some C supports (though probably nothing more) with other women._Don't worry, there will be no "love rivalry" or anything of the sort. I just find that a story gets better when there is more interaction than just between two people.**

**Anyways, thanks for reading and please tell me if there is anything which I can do better!  
**


	3. Chapter 3: So it's to be Blackmail?

Robin needed to find Gaius. He had slept in through breakfast, and he was the only one who didn't know their formation for the next day. Not only did that, but she needed to talk to him about _being there for every meal_. She had expected someone like him to enjoy eating.

"Robin, could you come here for a few moments? I have a question about tomorrow!" Chrom's voice rang out through the morning air.

Robin sighed and muttered, "Ugh, too many things to do..," before shouting back, "Could it wait a couple of minutes?"

"All, right!" Chrom disappeared back into his tent, and Robin continued along through the camp, searching for Gaius's tent. Using common sense and the fact that he really liked sweets, she deduced that he would be near the place where sweets were being made- the chef's tent. Sure enough, when she asked Stahl, the tent in question _did_ belong to Gaius.

While standing in front of his tent, Robin tried getting Gaius's attention without walking in, as that was considered to be very impolite. "Hello? Gaius?"

No response.

"Hello?"

Still no response.

"Gaius? Are you in there? I need to talk to you about something!" Fed up with being ignored, she lifted his tent flap and walked in.

"Ah, Bubbles. Didn't hear you there. Would you mind just stepping ou-"

Robin looked at him and screamed, "AAAAGH!" before fleeing to the other side of camp.

"Well, that sure got her out," Gaius muttered, "though generally if someone doesn't answer it means that he's either busy or _getting changed_. Lucky my smallclothes were on…" The redhead finished getting dressed, reloaded his pockets with candy and set on outside, only to find that he had missed breakfast, and that it was actually almost lunch.

* * *

Robin didn't know what to do. She had accidentally walked in on Gaius when he was changing, and she was _mortified_. Should she apologize? Should she pretend it never happened?

She thought of the day when Chrom had accidentally walked in on _her_. What had he done?

"He apologized!" she blurted out, and Lissa, who was nearby and pestering Lon'qu _again_, turned and gave Robin a weird glance, which gave Lon'qu time to flee.

* * *

For the second time that day, Robin had to look for Gaius. And she was extremely worried that she would make the same mistake again. Luckily, lunch time came around without any such incidents, and when eating her helping of deer, Gaius popped by to get a plate. Robin managed to corner him as he was walking back to his tent.

"Gaius," she nervously stated, "I am SO sorry about earlier. I had no idea you were changing."

He shrugged, "Aw, no worries. At least I hadn't taken off my smallclothes yet, eh? But… I _do_ want to mention that I'm usually in much better shape. With the stress of this blasted war, I've been eating more sweets than usual. Usually I'm a real piece of eye candy. Belly like a washboard, glutes like a-"

"Okay, okay," Robin interrupted, putting her hand to her forehead, "that's quite enough. I believe you… though there's one thing which I did notice, and it made me _a bit_ worried.

Gaius was mortified. "What? You saw _that?_ Gods, how embarrassing. It's just… uh… some poison oak I got into the other day, I swea-"

Robin stopped him _again_. "I'm not talking about the rash, I'm talking about the tattoo on your arm! Isn't it the one they use to mark convicted criminals?

"But you saw the rash as well? Oh, Gods..," Gaius sighed, "Anyways, yeah, I got caught doing a favour for a mate. Paid the price. Though I'd prefer if you kept that little nugget under your hat, Bubbles."

"Did you just call me…Bubbles?" Robin was a bit confused, but she had no problem with keeping Gaius's secret. "Don't worry, though. I won't tell anyone about-"

"You'll tell everyone, you say?" Gaius had heard her correctly, but he felt like teasing her a bit. He wondered how the composed 'Bubbles' would react to someone messing with her mind. Popping a sour gummy into his mouth, he continued, "So it's to be blackmail, is it? Fine, then. I can understand taking an opportunity to line your pockets. You can have my portion of dinner today, okay? Will that slake your greed for now?" It's not like another portion of bear would do him any good, anyway.

Apparently, though, Robin thought the same way. "Er, one helping of bear is enough for me, thanks. Also, I'm not blackma-"

"You drive a hard bargain, Bubbles! Here, take this custard pie!" Gaius whipped one out from under his cloak and held it in front of her with a flourish.

"No thank you," Robin protested, "I swear I'm no-"

The sweet addict chuckled inwardly. "If you are looking for ransom, I can assure you I don't have any money, but I do have a very particular set of honey cakes."

This pushed Robin over the edge. "Look, I don't want any sweets from you, alright? I'll keep your blasted secret!"

"Woah, easy there, Bubbles. Here, maybe some chocolate will put you in a better mood." Gaius held out a bar of milk chocolate with almonds. Robin grabbed it, ripped off a piece and threw the rest to the ground before stomping away with the chocolate in her mouth.

Gaius picked up the chocolate and retreated to his tent, grabbing a bite here and there. "Well, that was amusing. Maybe I should give poor Bubbles a rest. Or I could keep messing with her. Huh. I guess we'll see what happens next."

* * *

As fed up as she was, Robin couldn't help but to see the comical side of what had just happened, though she wasn't sure if Gaius had just been making fun of her, or if he actually thought that she was blackmailing him. She also wondered how he had managed to conceal a custard pie within his cloak. At dinner, while eating yet another serving of bear, Robin had caught Gaius's eye, and he had subtly gestured to his plate. She rolled her eyes and looked the other way.

* * *

It was night-time, and Gaius awoke with a craving for sweets. It was times like these when he truly admired himself for placing his tent so close to the chef's tent.

The campsite was littered with dried leaves and twigs, so that if an intruder entered in the middle of the night, the Shepherds would be able to hear the disturbance. However, being a thief, Gaius had the ability to walk soundlessly, shoes or barefoot, almost anywhere. Though it took a bit of effort, he was soon creeping along to the tent without making the slightest bit of noise. The light in the chef's tent was not on, though Gaius could see the silhouette of some muffins sitting on a counter, illuminated by the moonlight. He quickly ran inside and grabbed five of them before attempting to creep back to his room.

All the tents were dark except for one- the main tent. The only one who _should_ have been awake was Sumia, who was on guard duty at the other side of the camp. However, Gaius could see a shadow illuminated by the lamplight, and he could guess who it was. It was Robin. He sighed. Being the tactician, he expected her to at least take care of herself a _bit_ better than what she was going. After all, in the morning she would be leading them in escorting the Exalt to Ferox. He continued back to his tent, but with his mind was still on the fact that Robin should be in bed, his foot wandered and stepped on a rather large, dry stick. The sound wasn't loud enough to wake someone up, but it was loud enough to alert someone in the vicinity who was already awake.

Gaius was frozen there for what seemed like eternity, wondering what he should do as he saw Robin slowly and warily get up and draw her sword. She crept out of the tent cautiously and, though it was rather dark, could see him. "Gaius?" She whispered, "What are you doing?"

"Ah, Bubbles! Good to see you! I was just… _borrowing_ some muffins." Gaius tried to make it sound as different to stealing as possible. "I had a craving, see? Can't sleep in the middle of the night without food, Bubbles."

Robin sighed. "Firstly, you can't _borrow _food. Secondly, I saw your plate at dinner, Gaius. You didn't eat _anything_. Next time, you may just want to eat the bear anyways. Besides, do you even know how made those?" she said, gesturing at the muffins.

"Nah," Gaius said, interrupting her, "why eat the bad stuff when I can do this? Besides, it's not like anyone could mess up a muffin."

He popped a chunk into his mouth. "Though you _have_ sparked my curiosity. Who _did_ made these?" Suddenly, he gagged and spat out the contents of his mouth. Something about those muffins did not agree with him.

With a sarcastic smile, Robin responded.

"Lissa."

* * *

It was the next morning, and everyone had packed up their tents and personal belongings early so they could head out to Breakneck Pass. Breakfast, which was more leftover bear, had just been eaten and Frederick was cleaning up the dishes.

Gaius looked around. His stomach was killing him and he wasn't exactly in the best mood. After scanning the crowd of Shepherds, he found what he was looking for.

Walking over to Lissa, he put his hand on her shoulder. "Princess. We _really_ need to have a talk."

* * *

**Author's Note: Well, I had a five-hour train ride today, so there was plenty of time to do this. Originally, I had Stahl cleaning the plate, because in his page in the roster, it said "the most eager to clean a plate." But then, my sister pointed out to me that it actually meant clean a plate as in eat all the food off of it so it looks clean. So i changed it to Sumia. _Then_ I realized that she was already on guard duty and that I was overworking her, so I changed it to Frederick.**

**As well, in chapter two, when everyone else who was eating bear had to "grin and bear it", I didn't realize that I had accidentally made a pun until about ten minutes ago. So I am obviously not very observant.**


	4. Chapter 4: A Red-Haired Flyer

"Hey Blue, watch out!" Gaius jumped in front of Chrom moments before a wyvern knight managed to land a blow on the prince's chest. "Pay attention!"

It had been barely a minute since their guide through breakneck pass had betrayed them to the Plegians, and it was already chaos.

"Thanks, Gaius, though I'm fairly certain that this isn't the time for nicknames!" Chrom yelled back as he deflected a blow from an enemy with his sword and lunged in for the kill.

Gaius, instead of responding, took out an archer who was aiming for the wings of Sumia's pegasus. "I got ya covered, Stumbles!" he shouted out to her before heading for the next archer.

"No one's got _you_ covered, scum!"

Gaius turned to see the leader of the pack of Plegians, Vasto throw a hand-axe towards his head. Gaius was able to dodge most of the blow, even with the short amount of time he had to react. However, he wasn't quite fast enough, and the axe struck his sword arm, rendering him unable to fight back. As Vasto pulled out another weapon and prepared to deal the final blow, a powerful burst of wind magic struck him and he fell to the ground. Gaius turned to see Robin standing a few metres behind him.

Robin rushed to him. "You alright?"

He nodded. Robin held up his arm and he winced. "Shoot, this isn't good. Be more careful!" She noticed the stick poking out of his mouth and rolled her eyes

"Seriously? Candy? Never mind that, Head over to Lissa, quick!"

Gaius ran over to Lissa, trying to ignore the pain in his arm. "Damn, now I really _do_ need to give Bubbles something…" Lissa, seeing him and the blood coming from his arm, ran up to him and selected the appropriate staff, before proceeding to fix the wound.

"There, good as new," Lissa smiled, "but don't go totally crazy for the next few minutes, or it might open again."

Testing out his arm, Gaius smiled. "Thanks, Princess. You saved my bacon. I guess we can call it even, now."

"Gosh, were my muffins really that lethal?" Lissa shook her head in dismay before realizing that there was still a battle going on. "This isn't the time to be talking about that. Get out there and fight!

She gently shoved him back into the battlefield, where he took out more archers. As he finished up with the last one and was about to help Vaike take down a Wyvern Knight, he saw a flash of red in the corner of his eye.

A young woman with long red hair landed by Chrom and another soldier, and began telling them something. From what he could tell, it wasn't good news. After talking for a few moments, Chrom turned back to the battle and the woman flew up into the sky, helping Sumia take out more wyverns and their riders.

* * *

"Hm, what's this? Candy? Not Candy?" Gaius picked up a satchel from the ground and shook it. The faint clicking sound of metal hitting metal could be heard. Opening the bag, he saw several dozen silver coins.

"Ah, well, I guess I can't expect _everyone _to have candies like Blue…" He pocketed the coins and turned back to a small group of people- Chrom, Lissa, Emmeryn and a soldier. They were having yet another discussion with the red-haired pegasus knight who had joined mid-battle. As he drew nearer, he could hear part of their conversation.

"I should have stayed… I should have stayed!" The young woman was sobbing into her hands. "Ah, gods, I can still hear the screams…"

The soldier who was accompanying the Exalt put her hand on the girl's shoulder. "Peace, Cordelia. You have done your duty. The sisters rightly prized your youth. You've many years to keep their legacy alive."

Cordelia shook her head, and amidst the tears, managed to speak, "I abandoned them! I'm weak! Their legacy deserves better. Oh, Captain Philia. How can I go on like this? They were my family!" She broke into sobs again. "Gods, oh gods…"

"Damn those monsters!" All eyes but Cordelia's turned to Chrom. He looked as if he was about to say something more, but was interrupted by his older sister.

"I must return to the capital." Emmeryn said with a grim but determined look.

At this point, Gaius knew that he shouldn't be listening. After all, even someone like him knew that these matters were most likely to be confidential, or even personal. Chrom was pretty nice, but eavesdropping on royalty was not considered polite, no matter how nice the royal in question was. Instead, he wandered over to where Stahl, Vaike and Lon'qu were.

Since they were finished cleaning up on their end of the field, the three Shepherds passed time by playing cards atop one of the horse carts.

"Hey, Stabby!" Gaius tapped Lon'qu on the shoulder before dropping down beside him. Popping a few chocolate-covered caramels into his mouth, he asked, "What're you playing?"

"I would prefer if you would not call me 'stabby'." Lon'qu stated.

Vaike laughed. "We're playing poker! Loser has to tell us who in camp they fancy!"

Popping yet another candy into his mouth, Gaius chuckled.

"Wow, Muscles. Very creative. Didn't you already do this yesterday, with that "Most Popular Girl in the Shepherds" poll of yours?"

Turning to Lon'qu, he continued, "I have to say though, I'm surprised that Stabby here decided to join in on the fun."

Lon'qu looked annoyed.

"It was no choice of mine."

Vaike averted his eyes in a sort of teasing way, showing that he had somehow forced Lon'qu into making that sort of gamble.

Feeling amused, Gaius leaned back.

"Tell you what. I won't join, but I'll watch." Turning to Lon'qu, he then added, "I'm betting on you, Stabby, so you better not lose!"

Lon'qu simply sighed and looked the other way.

* * *

In the midst of their second hand, with Lon'qu in dead last, Chrom walked over. Saying he was angry would have been an understatement.

"Now's no time for games! We've got to keep on going to Ferox!" he yelled before storming off. He was obviously extremely upset, and Gaius could guess why.

Vaike, on the other hand looked rather confused. "Well, I guess that's that. We'll just have to wrap it up here. Looks like Lon'qu's the loser! And since Gaius was betting on him, looks like he needs to fess up, too."

"Nope," countered Gaius, "I said I'd bet on Stabby, but I didn't say with what. Here, Muscles, Bedhead, take these muffins." Chuckling inwardly, he added, "They don't taste very good, but you could use them to poison an enemy."

With that, he threw two of Lissa's muffins at Stahl and Vaike before walking off. To himself, he murmured, "That bag of silver goes to candy if Blue's upset about the Exalt going back, and it goes to the treasury if he's not."

* * *

The bag of silver went to candy. Though he felt a bit bad about making that sort of bet, Gaius's sweet tooth prevailed over his morals, and he decided to head out to the market to pick up some sweets. Gaius had also decided to, for the first time in several weeks, open up a stall in the market. Not wanting to ask Chrom, who had seemed to be in a bad mood for several days straight, where a good place to set up a stall was, he decided to just head out with the things he wanted to sell and set up a shop.

The Shepherds had been resting in Ferox for a few days, and it had been a rather ordinary morning. Cordelia seemed to have recovered somewhat from her emotional outburst, and was acting as what she called her 'usual self'. However, it didn't really seem that usual to Gaius; she was always helping out or cleaning _something,, _be it a person, room or animal. He was certain that if she saw him, he would end up being fussed over by her for hours on end.

Gaius's supplies made him bulkier than he would have liked, hindering his ability to avoid Cordelia and her neat-freak tendencies. He almost made it, and he would have, if it hadn't been for the bracelet which he was going to sell. It slipped over his arm and crashed onto the floor, and Cordelia turned to investigate what the noise was.

"Ah, Gaius." she said as soon as she saw him. She stared at him for a few moments before speaking. "Say, weren't you wearing the exact same clothes yesterday?"

Gaius inwardly cursed his bad luck and sighed, "Is that a problem?"

As if she didn't hear his comment, Cordelia continued, "Also, unless I'm very much mistaken, you also wore them the day before that."

"Yup," Gaius agreed. Though naturally, he had a good reason for doing so. "This is my favourite outfit. Why are you so interested in my attire anyways?" Teasing her, he added, "You fancy me or something?"

Putting her hand to her forehead, Cordelia stated, "I'm just trying to give some friendly advice here. Perhaps you don't realize that you smell like the floor of a tavern. Your shirt is covered in crumbs and honey, and the less said about your pantaloons, the better."

Stunned, Gaius looked down at his clothes to see that what she had said was actually correct.

Seemingly on a roll, Cordelia went on.

"Not to mention, your hair needs a trim and you have _more_ crumbs stuck to your face… and is that a turkey leg I see sticking out of your pocket? Heavens, Gaius!" she cried, "Don't you care about your appearance at all?"

_Now_ the scolding was starting to get on his nerves. She had made her point. There was no need for her to continue to question his hygienic preferences, or lack thereof.

"Well," he retorted, "so long as it doesn't slow me down on the battlefield. I'm not some fancywaist who needs to strut around like a peacock."

"Well, perhaps you should consider it regardless."

"All right, all right," Putting his hands up in submission, Gaius rolled his eyes. "Message received. I'll go put on some new clothes, mother."

Oblivious to the sarcasm in his words, Cordelia spoke on, "Don't forget to comb your hair! And wash those old clothes in vinegar, or you'll never get the smell out."

Slowly edging towards the door, Gaius quietly said, "I'm going now…"

"Once washed, if you want to reduce the wrinkles, take a willow reed and- hey!" Gaius had fled the room.

"Don't walk away when I'm talking about laundry!"

Gaius ran back to his room- he and the other Shepherds were given said rooms for their stay in Ferox. He put down the wares he was going to sell and changed clothes, just to get Cordelia off his back. He _was_ a little curious though- were his clothes really _that _bad? Picking up his old shirt, he took a whiff.

"Gods, these do smell _awful_!"

* * *

**Author's note: Well I had a thirteen-hour plane ride today, so plenty of time to get this one done. ****I would like to emphasize that though this fanfiction ships Gaius X My Unit GREATLY,****this fanfiction follows Gaius through his time in the Shepherds, as his feelings for Robin develop****. If you are upset that I have added a Cordelia support, or that this chapter contained no further developments, it is because this fanfiction is centered more around Gaius himself than the pairing, though there may just possibly be a B support with Robin coming next chapter… maybe… .**

**maybe.**

**Okay, there will be. Happy?**

**So any supports added are because I want to show everyone Gaius's time with the Shepherds as well, not just skipping to and from the supports. **

**Anyways, B support coming next chapter. Hopefully that will satisfy you for now ;)**

**Anyways, Happy reading~**

**PS: Sorry for the rant.**

**PPS: As usual, comments and critiques are more than welcome :)**


	5. Chapter 5: Good Conscience

The cold Ferox air sent a chill down Gaius's spine. Wrapping himself up in his cloak, he sipped a cup of hot chocolate which he had bought from a store a few stalls down the road. It was mid-afternoon, and yet the cold weather had not changed in the slightest. He was sitting within his _own_ market stall, with some goods laid out in front of him. Every now and then, someone would stop by his stall and examine an item that they thought was nice or worth buying. Gaius's wares were top-quality, and if someone stopped by, they would rarely leave without making a purchase.

A young woman stopped by and inquired about the price of a jewellery box. Though Gaius _did_ answer her question and persuade her to make the purchase, his mind was on other things.

He was thinking about Robin. Not in a romantic way, of course, but about the whole 'blackmail' issue he had been teasing her about. Gaius had been a thief for many years, and the most important thing he had learnt was that there was no such thing as a free lunch. Though Robin said that she would keep the secret, and he wanted to believe her, he knew that if she got mad at him or wanted something from him, and he hadn't paid her for knowing about the tattoo, she could use that knowledge as leverage to either get what she wanted or to get Gaius in trouble. Though the whole situation has started as a joke, and he _did_ want to keep it that way, it would probably be wise if he took it a bit more seriously.

Gaius? I didn't know you ran a market stall." His train of thought was interrupted when he heard someone talking to him. Looking up, Gaius saw Robin standing by his stall. She didn't look like she was taking the cold very well, either. Though she was bundled up in a warm cloak, he could tell that she was shivering.

"Oh, sure. I like to get out, meet the common folk, sell the odd trinket," Gaius responded. Gesturing to the tables in front of him, he continued, "Speaking of which, see anything you fancy? I've got silk smallclothes from exotic ports, genuine leather belts, top-quality figs…"

After thinking for a minute, Robin replied, "Do you have any books? Strategy books, specifically. I've been hoping to expand my tactical knowledge to better serve the shepherds, but I can't find anything," she sighed. "It really is quite strange."

"Strategy books, is it? Wait here, Bubbles!" Gaius turned and ran behind his stall.

Gaius returned shortly with a large crate of books, which he dropped on the table in front of Robin. "Here. Take a gander at this lot and see if any of them tickle your fancy."

As Robin began looking through the collection of books, she was amazed at the different tomes in the box. "By the gods… Gaius, how did you get all these books? Did you buy every single one in the market?"

Shrugging, Gaius replied, "Sort of. Here," he shoved the box into her hands, "they're yours now. Every last one, my gift to you! That should make us clear on the whole you-know-what." He emphasized the last part so that Robin would know exactly what he was talking about.

Hitting her forehead with her hand, Robin exclaimed, "Gods, you're pigheaded! For the last time, Gaius, I am NOT blackmailing you! Now please," she continued, placing the books back into his arms, "keep these books. I cannot take them in good conscience."

Although he did want to take the whole blackmail thing seriously, Gaius couldn't help but to have a little fun with it. "Oh, I see! So the books aren't good enough? Still holding out for something better?"

Robin rolled her eyes and stomped off, sighing. "Sometimes I wonder why I even try…"

However, before she could leave, Robin's gaze fell upon a beautiful pendant on the other end of Gaius's stall, It was a stone with a sky blue colour, and a silver coil of metal encircling it. Picking it up, she spoke softly, "What a handsome pendant! I've never seen the like!"

Seeming to pop out of nowhere, as he often did, Gaius appeared beside her and said, "The pendant, then? And we can call it even?"

"GAIUUUUS!" Infuriated, Robin marched off, away from his stall to the other side of the market.

"Guess not." Chuckling softly to himself, Gaius took another sip of hot chocolate before helping his next customer.

* * *

Gaius had stayed up later than usual trying to think of what he could do for Robin to get the blackmail issue out of his hair. However, he couldn't quite put his finger on the right gift. She didn't seem to care much for sweets (something he would never understand), and books weren't an option- she had so many that he would probably just end up getting her a book she already had. Even strategy books that he had offered to her earlier had been rejected, although for slightly different reasons.

Eventually, breakfast time came, and Gaius headed down to the mess hall. He absent-mindedly grabbed a tray and loaded it with food, not paying any attention to the contents of his platter. When he sat down and looked at it, he realized that he hated half the things he had chosen. Sighing, Gaius looked around and wondered what he should do with the food he refused to eat. He looked up, and saw Stahl and Vaike sitting down on either side of him.

"Hey, Gaius," Vaike said, "the Vaike knows when something's up, and something is _definitely_ up. What's wrong?"

"Nothing, really. Just thinking." As Gaius responded to Vaike, he gazed at Stahl's plate and noted, to his own delight, that Stahl had yet to eat his dessert. As his hand slowly creeped towards Stahl's plate, he continued, "So what did Stabby say?"

"You mean after the game of cards?" Stahl asked. "Well, he said that he '_wouldn't answer because he didn't choose to meddle in such foolish games_.' Vaike was… disappointed, to say the least."

Gaius managed to grab the dessert without Stahl so much as looking down.

"Well," he laughed, taking a bite of out the pilfered brownie "I doubt that you would have gotten any answer out of him, considering that Stabby isn't really into that kind of stuff.

Stahm sighed, "Yeah, I guess." reaching for his brownie, he realized that it was no longer there. "Where did it-" turning to Gaius, he saw the thief pop the last bite into his mouth. "Gaius!"

"Sorry, Bedhead. You snooze, you lose. You have to guard your food properly." Standing up, Gaius began to leave the mess hall.

Turning away from his breakfast, Vaike asked, "Wait! Where are you going?"

"Away from the mess hall, Muscles," responded Gaius, "I'm done, and if I stick around here too long, Blue might assign me to dishes again."With that, he exited the mess hall and headed into the barracks, his abandoned tray full of half-eaten food that he didn't care for in the slightest.

* * *

"I just put that through there and then… YEOWCH!" Lissa pricked herself on a needle for the tenth time that hour. Gaius, who was passing by, heard the commotion and walked into her room.

"What're you up to, Princess?" He asked. When he saw her finger bleeding, he added, "You alright?"

Lissa sighed angrily and replied, "I'm _trying_ to learn needlework. But," she continued, holding up her hands which had sustained multiple needle-inflicted injuries, "I'm mostly just poking holes in my dumb fingers."

Gaius was in awe at the massive amount of damage that Lissa had caused to her fingers using just a needle. "You should wash and dress those wounds, you know."

Lissa rolled her eyes. "Yeah, whatever. They're just pinpricks. They're hardly bleeding at all!"

"Small wounds can become infected as easily as large ones. Here, Princess," he said, "let me take a look."

Holding out her hands, Lissa grumbled, "Geez, fine! If you're going to be all stubborn about it… just stop calling me princess, alright? It almost sounds sarcastic when you say it."

Shrugging, Gaius responded, "Just a friendly nickname, is all. I give them to everyone."

"Yeah, well I bet you didn't give Chrom a nickname, did you? It's so unfair!" she complained, "He risks life and limb every day. But me? No! People hover around me if I have so much as a sewing accident!"

Gaius grimaced, "If it makes you feel better, this is the worst sewing accident I've ever seen."

Lissa laughed, "Gods, you'd think I was made out of glass or something. Hey!" she shouted as he was wrapping bandages around her hand, "easy with the bandages, there! My hand looks like a grapefruit!"

"You pierced a vein, princess. Lucky it wasn't worse." Noticing the unhappy expression on her face, he continued, "Cheer up, now. Lemme see what you're sewing there!" Even upon closer inspection, Gaius couldn't identify the blob of thread Lissa had sewn.

"It's a… three-legged ogre?"

Lissa's frown deepened.

"No, wait. A whalefish eating a sailor?"

"It's supposed to be a kitty cat."

Gaius was shocked. "Well, I guess if I turn it this way…" He tried tilting the needlework at various angles to see what Lissa had tried to create.

Lissa sighed. "It's not done yet, okay?"

"Hm," Gaius sat down beside her, "well, for a cat, why don't you add a few stiches here…" and began to add to the needlework until it actually began to look like an animal.

"Holy cow, Gaius! That's amazing! I didn't know you could sew!" Lissa stared in awe at Gaius's needlework.

"I've always had nimble fingers. A useful skill in my trade."

Lissa smiled. "Well, thanks, I guess. I was going to give this to someone, but it would've been a disaster if you hadn't helped."

Gaius smiled back. "No problem, Princess. Though why couldn't you just buy it or get someone else to make it? You're royalty, so why go through all of…that?" He gestured to her heavily bandaged fingers.

Lissa's expression changed from happy and grateful to embarrassed and angry within seconds.

"That is TOTALLY not how I operate, mister! I refuse to be one of those lazy nobles who can't even butter their own crumpets. Besides," she added, "if you're going to give someone something as a gift, you have to make it yourself! It means more that way!"

Pausing for a moment to take in what he just heard, Gaius responded, "I guess that makes sense. Anyways, Princess, I've gotta go." Getting up, he fled from the tent before the brilliant idea he had just come up with could escape from his mind.

Shaking his head and chuckling at Lissa's attempt to sew, he muttered, "I guess coming up with a distraction is the best way for her to keep her mind off of what's going on with her sister."

Anyways, thanks to her, he now knew the basic idea of what he was going to do for Robin. Now he just needed to get into the details. Helping Lissa sew had helped him to remember all the things he used to be able to do.

"Make something, huh?"

Gaius wandered into town for the first time that day, preoccupied with what he should do, and what it was that he would have to make.

* * *

**Author's Note: So this chapter took me a REALLY long time to do. I kept re-writing, re-writing and re-writing. I re-wrote the first part at least ten times, and to be honest with you, I'm still not that happy about this chapter at all. However, I don't think it's going to get any better than this, so let's hope the next chapter will be a better read.**

**On a side note, while my sister was reading this and giving me feedback, I was oh-so-rudely locked out of the room. This was probably the most exciting and yet frustrating chapter to make so far.**


	6. Chapter 6: A Thank-You Gift

"Ugh. I hate this grey slime." Gaius held up a spoonful of his lunch. It was _supposed_ to be soup, but the consistency, taste and colour did not give him a very good impression.

"Food is food. Just eat it," growled the stoic myrmidon beside him.

Gaius scowled. "Easy for you to say, Stabby. You've lived here almost all your life. You're used to this…" he gestured to his bowl, "… stuff."

It was a typical day in Ferox. The Shepherds had been camped there for over a week, with seemingly no intention to advance into Plegia. Chrom's mood hadn't gotten any better over this time, and Lissa's cope-through-distractions technique was slowly becoming less and less effective.

"Chrom? Oh, Gods, I've been looking for you everywhere!" Startled, Gaius looked up from his soup and saw Basillio standing in the doorway of the mess hall.

Chrom, who had been sitting with Robin and Frederick, immediately looked at the West-Khan. The relaxed atmosphere of the mess hall had vanished-replaced by tension that seemed so thick it could be cut with a knife. Gaius braced himself for the impending bad news.

"My scouts from Plegia are back," Basilio continued, "and it's dark news they carry. Ylisstol…has fallen."

Standing up, Chrom exclaimed, "WHAT? What about Emm? What happened to her?"

As if this wasn't enough bad news, Basilio proceeded, "The Plegians captured your exalt and retreated back across their lines. Gangrel's said that she's to be publicly executed within the month."

"Executed?" Chrom looked horrified. Lissa, who was a few seats to the right of Gaius, collapsed onto Maribelle's shoulder. Flavia walked into the hall, her face set into a deadly glare.

"That dastard's not even _trying_ to be subtle anymore. To anyone with brains, it's obvious that it's a trap. The mad king knew our scouts would relay the information back here. It's clear provocation! We should consider all of our options before jumping into any-"

"Shepherds!" Chrom addressed the crowd eating in the mess hall. "We march to Plegia!"

Clearing his throat, Basilio shook his head. "That would be one option, yes, but I'm sure that if we sit down and think for a bit, there would be-"

"I don't care if it's a trap! That dastard is going to murder my sister!"

"We're not saying we're not going to act," Flavia replied as calmly as she could, "We're saying that we're going to act _wisely_. Jumping into Plegia with no idea of what we're going to do and no strategy whatsoever, is _not_ wise."

"Chrom, don't worry." Robin got up to face Chrom, "I'll think of something, alright?"

"Are you sure you'll be up to it?" Basilio asked, as if it was already decided, "It'll be a hard job. In one hand, you'll have the Exalt's life and in the other, all of ours."

"I understand that it won't be easy, but I'm up to the challenge."

Looking from Robin to Flavia, and from Flavia to Basilio, Chrom sighed, knowing that they wouldn't let him do anything other than wait and formulate a plan.

"Fine! I leave it up to you!" He sat down for a while and put his head in his hands. The two Khans slowly left the room, and shortly after, Chrom got up and left without another word.

No one had the appetite to eat their food after that. Even Stahl pushed his half-eaten bowl to the side. Robin left the dining hall soon after Chrom, no doubt to work on her plan, and Maribelle helped Lissa to her room. Slowly but surely, the population of the mess hall dwindled to just a few.

After staring at nothing in particular for several minutes, Gaius got up, put his tray away and followed his comrades out of the dining hall.

* * *

"Come on…" Gaius was hunched over his bed, fiddling with a long golden chain. "Damn it!" a chain link had gone flying. Crawling onto the floor, he scoured the ground for the missing piece. It was part of the pendant that he had made for Robin. All he had to do was slip both ends of the chain into another link, before sealing the opening. But it was easier said than done, and he had yet to finish the job despite the amount of time and effort he had put into it.

He had decided to make the pendant after his talk with Lissa. Robin had liked the one in the store, and he was good at making things like that. The design would be simple- a pink stone partially encased in gold, suspended by a gold chain. Upon giving it to Robin, he could consider the issue closed- a fair trade: the secret about his tattoo for a pendant.

Since his decision to make it, Gaius had gotten up early almost every morning to head to the forge. After all, when less people see you, less people ask questions. It _had_ been a bit weird showing up for training _already_ tired and sweaty, but no one had questioned him.

"Finally!" Gaius said as he finally managed to connect the chain. Grabbing a pair of pliers to seal up the gaps in the metal, he began to ponder the final stage of this whole ordeal: when would he give it to her?

It had already been two days since Robin had agreed to come up with a rescue plan, and Gaius had seen her only once since then. She was obviously stressed and tired. During his midnight 'excursions' to the kitchen, he had noticed the light in her room still flickering out from under the crack in the door, and heard the sound of a pen on paper filling the hall. The one time he had seen her was when she ate lunch the day before, but other than that time, Gaius had no recollection of her eating anything whatsoever. With all that considered, it probably would not be the best time to give her anything. The only other option would be to give the pendant to Robin_ after _they had-

"Argh!" Gaius smacked his forehead. Why was he thinking of this, when he had just realized that he would soon be marching into a battle, led by an underfed, tired tactician? Grabbing a lolipop and stuffing it into his mouth, he stormed out of his room and headed over to where Robin was working.

Gaius stood outside the room for a bit, looking around to make sure no one (_especially_ Vaike) was in the vicinity. After all, knocking on a girl's door, while by himself, could be easily taken the wrong way. Finally, satisfied that no one was in the vicinity, he rapped his knuckles on the door to Robin's room.

"Come in!" Though it was obviously Robin's voice, Gaius could hear a fair bit of annoyance in her words, and there was a weary sort of tone that made her fatigue very apparent. Walking in, he saw her sitting at her desk, with different maps and charts littered across the floor.

Being sure not to step on any of the papers, Gaius walked over to where she was. "Hey, Bubbles. I think th-"

"You _know_ how much I hate it when you call me Bubbles, Gaius!" Whoops. Sighing inwardly, Gaius realized the mistake he had made. Calling an already agitated Robin 'Bubbles' was one sure way to set off her temper.

Holding up his hands in defense, he replied, "Sorry, Robin. I forgot for a moment. Anyways-"

"If you're just coming in here to annoy me, then please leave!" Robin stood up, obviously _very_ aggravated. "I have work to do, you know!"

"Calm down, Bu- er, Robin. I just need to te-"

"How can I calm down? Do you know how stressed I am right now? We're heading out in three days! I haven't got an _inkling_ on a plan ready! I haven't gotten any sleep for _days_! I haven't eaten in ages, either! I need concentration!"

_She's snapped, _Gaius thought.

"If you don't leave me alone and let me get something done, it'll be MY fault that Emmeryn will be executed! Please, just get out and _let me do my job!_"

"Gods, Robin! Just let me say what I need to say!" Robin was startled into silence by Gaius's uncharacteristic outburst, giving him time to proceed.

"First of all, eat this chocolate. You probably need it more than I do." Robin snatched up the chocolate bar and wolfed it down. Gaius cleared his throat and contintued.

"You're smart. We all get that. That's why you're our tactician. But _obviously_, you haven't been paying attention. The reason why you can't think of anything is _because_ you haven't slept in days. It's _because_ you haven't eaten in ages. I know I don't want to walk into a battle led by someone who can barely stand or think clearly."

Gaius's lecture only seemed to make Robin even more aggravated. "Are you telling me what to-"

"Yeah, I am. Now, don't do anymore work tonight. Go to bed, and think about what I just told you."

With that, Gaius quickly left the room, before Robin had another chance to explode on him. "Crivens, what am I? Her mother? For someone that smart, she can be _really_ dumb." Sighing, he shook his head. "What I said probably went in through one ear and out the other, but it was worth a shot."

* * *

The next day at breakfast, Gaius was greeted by a pleasant surprise: Robin had shown up. She still looked extremely weary, but he could tell that she was much better than the night before. Her tray was laden with food as well, a testament to how hungry she was. Grabbing up a pastry and popping a sour gummy into his mouth, Gaius sat down at a table and ate his food, put away his plate and got up to leave. Robin, noticing that he was heading out, stuffed the last bite of her bread into her mouth and ran to catch up to him.

"Uh, Gaius?" Feeling the tap on his shoulder, Gaius turned around to find Robin behind him.

"Morning, Bubbles." Whoops. It happened again. Hopefully she wouldn't freak out like last time.

Rolling her eyes at the nickname, she continued, "I just wanted to apologize about what I said yesterday. I was really tired and angry, and I couldn't think of anything, so I took it out on you. So…sorry about that."

Shrugging, Gaius replied, "Don't sweat the small stuff, Bubbles." Suddenly, he realized that this would be the perfect time to give her the pendant. She was feeling sorry about what had happened, so she would be more likely to accept it- he would be able to get the blackmail business out of his hair at last!

"Could you wait here a moment?" When she nodded, Gaius ran to his room, grabbed the pendant off the ground and came back. Holding it out, he said, "Here. I got you something."

Taking it into her hands, Robin examined it. "A pendant? Is it because of the one I saw in town that I liked? Thanks, Gaius, but I'm not sure I feel-"

"Heck of a thing, too! Probably worth a big sack of gold down at the market."

Shaking her head, Robin gave it back to him. "Then I must refuse. I can't accept an extravagant gift. Sorry, but I have to get back to work." as she turned away and began to walk off, Gaius shouted,

"All right, all right. Maybe I stretched the truth _just_ a little." Puzzled, Robin looked back at him with a confused expression. "It'd be worth a sack of gold IF they paid for sentimental value, see?" When she didn't put two and two together, he added, " 'Cause I made it myself."

"What?" Robin ran back up to him and grabbed the pendant. "But it's magnificent!"

Grinning, Gaius responded, "Pleased you like it, Bubbles. Makes all the effort worthwhile."

"But why did you-"

"Oh, no reason at all! Just, uh…one good turn and all that." Glancing at her to see if she bought it, he found that she was not convinced. Gaius had been dreading this moment that he knew would come eventually.

"You're trying to bribe me again, aren't you? I've told you a hundred times! I'll keep your secret! I gave you my word, and that should be the end of it!"

Sighing, Gaius replied, "Look, I trust you. Honest and truly. It's just that in my business, there's no such thing as a free lunch. Gal who says she'll do something for nothing? Well, she's the first one wanting payback down the line."

"Well, I was hoping it wouldn't come to this." Leaning forwards, Robin said, "I have something important to tell you."

"Important?"

"It's a secret. A very embarrassing one. You see…" She whispered something into his ear, and he immediately started laughing.

"And the chicken? Oh, _Bubbles_, you did NOT do that!"

Blushing in embarrassment, Robin stated, "Ah, but I did, and you and I are the only ones who know. So, in return for you keeping _my_ secret safe, I promise to safeguard _your_ secret. Do we have a deal?"

"I see what you did there, and I appreciate it." Thinking on it for a moment, Gaius gave his consent. "All right, it's a deal! But you have to keep the pendant. It's not a bribe anymore. It's more like… a thank you gift."

Robin smiled. "In that case, I accept." With the pendant in hand, she turned and walked into her room. However, before she closed the door, Gaius saw her put the necklace on.

As soon as she closed the door, a rush of people surged down the hall, towards the training grounds, causing Gaius to realize that it was already time to train. Tearing his gaze away from her door, he followed the current of people outside.

**. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .**** .**** .**** .**** .**** .**** .**** .**** .**** .**** .**** .**** .**** .**** .**** .**** .**** .**** .**** .**** .**  


"…God damnit, Gaius, you're not even trying!" The blunt edge of Sully's practice spear hit Gaius's arm again, causing him to wince.

Grimacing in pain, he rubbed his arm. "Sorry, sorry. I'm just a bit distracted."

"To hell with that! Concentrate!" This time, Gaius managed to deflect her lance with his sword. They continued to spar, and though Gaius was no longer allowing Sully to land any blows, his mind was elsewhere, focusing on questions which had no relation this battle. One thing had been bothering him since he had given Robin the pendant, and he wanted an answer.

_It didn't concern him anymore, not in the slightest, so why was he so happy that he had seen Robin put the pendant around her neck?_

* * *

**Author's note: Aaah this chapter took so long to write! I don't even know why!  
**

**Well, maybe I do... I beat the Sacred Stones and I'm dying because the ending was so touching...  
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**I'm sorry that I take so long to put out chapters compared to when I first started, though! Even though I posted this one, I'm still not too happy about the ending on the chapter. Please, if you have any critiques, ideas or suggestions, post them in reviews! I would like to see how I can improve!  
**

**Planning a wedding is hard, considering how I've never been to one. Who should be the best man? (Help me please)  
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**Oh, and I noticed a MAJOR mistake, so I fixed it. The last part previously had Libra, but we don't get Libra yet, so I switched it to Sully.  
**


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